Zola the zebra lived on the sunny African savanna. She loved to play with her friends – Leo the lion cub, Penelope the penguin (who was visiting!), and Ginny the giraffe. But Zola had a secret. She didn’t like her stripes! “Oh, why do I have to have stripes?” she’d sigh. “Leo has a lovely golden mane, Penelope is so sleek and black and white, and Ginny has beautiful spots. My stripes are just…too much!”
One afternoon, Zola was hiding behind a big acacia tree, trying to avoid playing tag. Ginny the giraffe spotted her. “Zola! What are you doing hiding? Tag, you’re it!” Zola shook her head. “I don’t want to play, Ginny. Everyone will just see my stripes.”
Ginny walked closer, her long neck bending gently. “But Zola,” she said softly, “your stripes are *wonderful*! They’re what make you, *you*! They’re like a beautiful, stripy painting.”
Zola looked down at her legs. “But they’re different,” she mumbled. “Everyone else is…plain.” Ginny chuckled. “Plain? Look around, Zola! Leo’s mane is different, Penelope’s waddle is different, and my neck is *very* different! Different is what makes the savanna so special. Imagine if we all looked the same – how boring that would be!”
Ginny continued, “Your stripes help you blend in with the tall grasses, keeping you safe. And they’re so unique! They’re like a special code, just for you.”
Zola thought about what Ginny said. She *had* never thought of her stripes as helpful or special. She looked at her reflection in a watering hole. Maybe Ginny was right. Maybe her stripes weren’t so bad after all.
She took a deep breath and ran out from behind the tree. “Tag, you’re it, Ginny!” she shouted, galloping across the savanna. As she ran, she noticed Leo and Penelope looking at her and smiling. They weren’t laughing *at* her stripes; they were admiring them!
From that day on, Zola loved her stripes. She realized that being different wasn’t something to hide, but something to celebrate. She learned that true friends love you for who you are, stripes and all. And as the sun set over the savanna, Zola drifted off to sleep, dreaming of stripy adventures with her wonderful friends.